The present invention relates to the field of contacts books and in particular contacts book applications for computers and mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Under the prior art, contacts book applications can be installed and run on computers and mobile computing devices. Such contacts book applications can be standalone applications whereby each user must populate, update and manage the content of their own contacts book application manually, generally by typing into their computer or mobile computing device all of the contact details and updates themselves. Alternatively, contacts book applications can be connected to a server whereby the user must still populate, update and manage their own contacts book manually, but the server can store a backup of the contacts book application and allow the user to download the contents of the contacts book application onto alternative computers or mobile computing devices.
As an alternative to manually typing contact details into their computers or mobile computing devices, users of contacts book applications may transmit contact details to other users in the form of virtual contact files. Virtual contact files can be transmitted, for example, as attachments to emails or instant messaging messages. However, virtual contact files require multiple actions by the recipient, who must manually open the associated email or instant message, open and review the virtual contact file and save the file into their contacts book application and then delete any obsolete contact details which it replaces. Virtual contacts files can also be shared by displaying and scanning matrix barcodes. While this procedure is simple, it generally requires users to be in the same place for the scanning to occur and does not permit users to control which of their contact details are shared by scanning the code.
Server systems can be used to automatically generate contacts lists by processing data from social networks, email and other databases. Under these systems, where a certain level of prior association between individuals is ascertained, their names can be automatically added to each other's contacts lists. Such systems require prior social media, email or telephone interaction between parties in order for their names to be added to each others' contact lists. Such systems require significant amounts of users' private data to be provided for processing.
In order successfully to communicate with their contacts, under the prior art, users of contacts book applications must also request and rely upon their contacts to populate, update and manage the user's own contact details in their contacts books.
As further explained below, these processes are repetitive and inconvenient. They can also cause uncertainty, frustration, inaccuracy and loss of contact.
Under the prior art, every time a user of a contacts book application wishes to create a new contact entry, whether or not the contacts book application is connected to a server, they must type, every relevant detail of the new contact into their contacts book application. Alternatively they must request, receive, open, review and save a virtual contacts file into their contacts book application. Consequently, if a person has five hundred contacts, they will have entered and/or saved five hundred different sets of contact details into their contacts book application. Similarly, five hundred people will have entered and/or saved identical contact details of the user into their own contacts books applications. This procedure is inefficient and inconvenient.
Under the prior art, every time a user of a contacts book application changes their own contact details, whether or not the contacts book application is connected to a server, in order for the new contact details to appear in the contacts books of their contacts, they must send a request to all their contacts asking them to update their own contacts books with the user's new contact details. Again, it is necessary for the identical updating task to be performed by potentially hundreds of people. This procedure is inefficient and inconvenient. Given the frequency with which people change their contact details and the frustrating nature of the updating procedure, a person may decide not to send their new contact details to every person who has their old contact details, resulting in the remaining people retaining the out-of-date contact details. Certain recipients of the new details may simply fail to update their contacts book applications, resulting in their retaining the out-of-date contact details.
Under the prior art, it is not possible for a user of a contacts book application remotely to manage which items of their contact details are available to another person in that person's contacts book application, whether or not the contacts book application is connected to a server. For example, if an existing business contact becomes a personal friend, it is necessary to request that person to add further personal contact details to their contacts book application. Or, if a person no longer wishes some or all of their contact details to be available in another person's contacts book application, for example on leaving an employment, it is necessary for them to request that that person deletes their contact details from their contacts book application. These tasks are inconvenient and frustrating.
Under the prior art, if a user of a contacts book application wishes to change their contact details on a temporary basis, whether or not the contacts book application is connected to a server, they must manually send the temporary contact details to every contact with a message informing them of the of the period during which they will be in use. For example, this requirement would arise if a person were travelling outside their home country for a period of time and wished temporarily to use a local subscriber identity module (a SIM card) for a mobile computing device such as a smartphone. Given the disproportionate burden of asking hundreds of people to edit their records to reflect the temporary telephone number and then edit them back again at the end of the period, the traveller may decide not to use a local SIM card and instead to pay the more expensive international roaming charges associated with using their normal SIM card.
Under the prior art, if a person wishes permanently to change their email address, telephone number or other contact details, they may be disinclined to do so because of the risk of losing contact with people. Frequently, people retain the same telephone number or email address for many years despite the inconvenience this may cause in terms of inability to avail themselves of cheaper contract rates, better terms and conditions, more secure email servers and avoiding unsolicited telephone calls, spam emails and other undesirable communications. The control of personal data such as contact details and the inability to avoid unsolicited communications have become majors problem in recent times.
In summary, people and organisations spend considerable periods of time populating, updating and managing contacts books containing hundreds of people's contact details often with no absolute certainty as to whether a large proportion of them are, or are not, accurate. People retain the same contact details for years, feeling unable to regain control of the communications they receive by changing their contact details.